The Bulls are going to be very fired up for this one. You know many of them spent last summer stewing over what they could have individually done better to avoid being knocked out by the Sixers (despite the fact that it really was just a matter of injuries.) Given the game is on Chicago a would not be surprised if Chicago was able to jump out to a big early advantage.

Also, good point by Brian about the coaches. I'm sure a lot of teams will look to Thibbs in teens of how to scheme against the suddenly elite Jrue.

The Bulls are going to be very fired up for this one. You know many of them spent last summer stewing over what they could have individually done better to avoid being knocked out by the Sixers (despite the fact that it really was just a matter of injuries.) Given the game is on Chicago a would not be surprised if Chicago was able to jump out to a big early advantage.

Also, good point by Brian about the coaches. I'm sure a lot of teams will look to Thibbs in teens of how to scheme against the suddenly elite Jrue.

At this point I find out amusing to see how my phone keyboard changes my words our double posts. But I'm sorry if it annoys anyone that I'm lazy in my editing, as it is hard to type and edit on a mobile- especially when you are an old person.

This opponent tonight isn't great, but they are better than your grandfather's Packers and Zephyrs. You can take that to the stockyard auction.

If Bulls put D-nose to grindstone, only Spencer, Dorell and Nick rising like a phoenix can save Sixers tonight. Consider attempting to score against 5 foaming Tom Thibodeaus - 2 waves of them! OK, doable, but there'd be a cost.

Remembering McCoy McLemore, an original Bull with a splendiferous name. Runner-up: Erwin Mueller.

(making the permanent switch from mymanjrue tothis handle-0not cause I don't love Jrue, but because at some point last year ET captured my heart and it's best to be upfront)

Man, has it been fun to watch Evan Turner of late. Hope he's got a big homecoming planned for the United Center tonight.He is playing with such confidence, and he clearly worked hard over the summer on a few aspects of his game-the corner three, FT SHOOTING, finishing at the rim. Adds up to a far and away more efficient scorer. His box-0score line against Phoenix jumped out at me. 4 of 13 from the field...but by hitting a few threes and getting to the foul line, he still managed to rack up 16 points along with nine boards. In the past, too often ET has gone into a funk when his shot is not falling and has let it impact his game across the board. Part of that was DC's quick hook, to be sure, but I took it as hugely positive indication of growth when he was able to keep his head up and contribute to a win that night. Right now, he is the x-factor for this team, I believe. When he plays well the team fares well, when he doesn't, they don't.

Turner has had doubledigit FGAs in ten games, including the\ last eight in a row-the Sixers have won eight of them, with the only losses vs OKC and at Cleveland. In the six games in which Evan has taken fewer than ten shots, the Sixers are 2-4.

Here are ET's stats for the ten games in which he has ten or more FGAs:

Team is averaging 97.4 ppg over these ten games and has scored 100 or more six times. In the six games where ET has had fewer than 10 FGA, the team has not once reached 100 points and is averaging 86.8 ppg.

On ET, I'm waiting until he shows consistently against real strength, honest resistence. (End of January sounds like a good time for measurement.) They've been playin' weak sisters for half of 16 games, 10 @ home. I'll give Evan this much, he looks less like he needs a padded room this year. (Hard to complain about 34 min.) He's not going to shoot 44% from 3 for long. And feistiness won't always compensate for his pretty average athleticism. Nose for the ball & the limelight and versatility, signature so far. His bullhead is meeting its match tonight in Chicago defense.

His temporal defense and characteristic rebounding - less about resplendent athleticism("lateral quickness" and "leaping ability"), more about dedication to task, size/natural strength, along with a streak of borderline craziness. Re Westbrook, Jrue had already failed miserably, Turner was in the 'what's to lose?' catbird seat as second assignee (situation was right up his alley as he loves "swordfights"). Do you really think he could clamp down a fresh Westbrook like that, solo, for a series of games? I don't. Was a good moment in time for the kidet. I credit him for one extemporaneous half-a-game's stoppage of a partly-spent comet.

Only because I wanted this game so bad and I'm pissed off at not getting it, I must lay blame somewhere. That damn end of 3rd quarter where we were up by 3 when Jrue went out and he put Hawes and Wayns back in the game at the same time. After both of those guys' run in the first half was an absolute abomination. Of course, the BS non-call on Jrue getting fouled while in the act of shooting that the refs screwed up was glaring too.

But man, that end of 3rd quarter subs after they had given you a harbinger of things to come with their first runs. shit................

I think the point was that they had to go without stopping, so he had the unit on the floor that he wanted to execute on the other end. Of course, if you don't get the board you aren't going to get a chance at the other end anyway.

Damnit. No idea how they had any legs left at the end. Really hung in there. But should've won this game anyway. Damnit.

Thad is my POTG for his defense. 4 steals, 4 blocks and some big hoops. Really strong second half for Jrue, carried them on the offensive end. Turner should not be leading the team in FGA when he's shooting like that. Have some fucking awareness.

I usually stay away from commenting on stuff like this, but what happened today wasn't a tragedy for the Chiefs. It was a tragedy for that woman's family. The fucking sympathy for a murderer who then took the coward's way out is sickening.

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. He's coaching to win in the playoffs with an older core. If you're worried about the integrity of the game, then fucking fine teams who start tanking in February for draft position. If you're worried about ratings and TV contracts, then you must not be too secure about the value of your product. Either way, time for him to retire.

Eh, looked pretty good at the end of the OKC and Boston games as well. Much better than the past handful of seasons. Either way, doesn't really matter. Stay at or above .500 until Bynum gets back. If he doesn't come back, doesn't matter anyway. I guess just let Jrue develop into an All Star and hope Turner can keep up his current level of play, tonight excluded from that.

- Turner's shot was terrible, thought his defense was terrible as well, but he did a good job taking care of the ball, and had a couple nice assists as well. Collins used him on the point more tonight, I think to try to save some of Jrue's legs, and Turner played well when he didn't just put his head down. He needs to do more of that, especially on nights when his shot isn't falling.

- Really surprised we didn't see something extra out of Thibs to stop Jrue. Playing Hinrich on him, one-on-one should've cost Chicago this game in the second half. It was like a switch flipped on for Jrue in the third quarter and he just started attacking the paint.

- That three-point play that wasn't on Jrue was the turning point of the game, but they probably lost this game because Richardson's shot was off. If he's shooting from deep like he normally does, Jrue probably has three or four more assists and the Sixers probably win by a half dozen. He makes those threes on kickouts off penetration more often than not, just not tonight.

- Hawes....man, just Hawes. Pitiful.

- The missed Rip Hamilton free throw, think it was Thad lined up next to him. How can you let that happen? I realize they didn't have a timeout (that's why I wanted them to save one), but still. You have to secure the board. Lavoy should've been in there. But beyond the coaching decision, put a friggin body on him, huh?

- They really missed Nick Young. I hate the guy's game, and hate may be too light of a term for how I feel about it, but he's the only guy off the bench who has a prayer of creating his own shot. When Jrue was on the bench tonight, they were pretty helpless. When Jrue and Turner were both on the bench it was just pitiful. If they're going to make any additions this season, and it's not going to be for a big with a spine, it has to be for a backup PG. A guy who can at least run some offense, because Wayns just doesn't cut it.

On that missed free throw by Rip, not sure who you meant by 'lined up next to him' but, no one was lined up next to Rip. It was Turner who should have secured the board (he and DWright were on left block w/ Noah) but he was just bullied out of the way by Joakim. Thad was on the right block w/ Deng. If you were referring to someone actually putting a body on the shooter (Rip) since the loose ball squirted out to him, we oddly (to me) had two guys, Jrue and JRich, standing at the 3 pt arc. JRich and Jrue casually waltzed inside the arc but they were both in watch-see mode on what was happening down low with the scramble for the ball.

I was livid w/ Turner because he didn't apply a proper fundamental box out position on Noah with his lower body (putting an ass into him), he just basically tried to fend him off with his upper body, in particular his right arm. This caused him to eventually get rooted out and further under the basket. Noah was just stronger and jockeyed for better position since Turner offered no resistance by way of his lower body.

What is Wayns giving them that Xavier Silas didn't? There's got to be a better guy on the street right now that can play some adequate backup PG. Maalik isn't interested in running any sort of offense or setting any of his teammates up for shots, he's in straight gun mode when he hits the court. He's way worse than Lou in this respect because at least Lou would dribble the air out of the ball, Wayns fires away early, middle, or late in the clock.

But since Doug doesn't yank him as soon as he takes a couple of bad shots and insert Ivey, it leads me to believe that Doug has told him to do this. Though believing that seems counter-productive from a coaching aspect when you consider that sometimes Evan or JRich are out there with him and you'd think Doug would want to get them looks/shots.

When you get outrebounded by 13 and face a combative defense, gotta shoot it real well. Last night, not their night (43%). Chalk up the loss partly to Collins' 'big toe' jam; Nick's outside-of-the-trenches ammunition was missed (assuming some Bull's-eyes).

Isn't there an unsigned XXXL body somewhere in the world that's keen on bumping, jumping and rebounding?

They're both incomplete players. I'd just prefer my incomplete big to be an athletic freak who tries to dunk every time he gets the ball and block every shot than a slothful finesse big who thinks he has a jumper and can't move his feet on the defensive end. These guys both suck offensively, but the perception is that Voose doesn't, which is more dangerous IMO.

Biyombo is an athlete that can't play. All he can do is block shots. He stinks. Guess you are willing to wait 4-5 years for him to become a serviceable NBA player. You may not like how Vuce plays but he is light years better than Biyombo.

I don't understand why people value a shitty offensive player who shoots too much over a shitty offensive player who doesn't shoot. Never will. A center with a TS% of lower than .500 is useless in this league. Worse than useless, he's a burden. Especially when people consider his offense his main asset.